Saturday, October 22, 2011

Review: The Canuck Werewolf by Marisa Chenery

Rylee doesn’t have high hopes for the Victoria Day weekend camping trip, seeing as she’s been roped into taking her brother and his juvenile friends. But her mind is changed when she spots a gorgeous man on a hiking trail. She’d like to be zipped in a sleeping bag with him, no doubt about it.

Atticus came to Elora Gorge to get away from his father and his demands that his son find a mate. Like yesterday. Atticus needs time away from being groomed to be the pack leader and the endless stream of “suitable” mates thrown his way in hopes of stirring his mating urge. No luck yet. But then he spots a shy mortal who draws him like no other.

The tent heats up quickly, but before Atticus can tell Rylee what he is, he discovers a member of his pack has followed him with the intention of claiming him for her own. Not only does he have to convince Rylee she’s his mate, he must also prove she can trust him.

Ren's Review

Rylee is tasked with taking her younger brother and his friends on a camping trip. Not particularly thrilled with the idea, she resigns herself to the fact that she is going to be bored out of her skull.

Enter Atticus, werewolf and next in line as Alpha of his pack. Tall, blonde and insanely good-looking, he is up at the camp to escape the pressures of his family to find a mate. He knows that his true mate is out there somewhere and he refuses to settle.

When Rylee and Atticus meet, the attraction is almost instant. Rylee can't believe that someone as handsome as Atticus would be attracted to her and she is hesitant to believe it at first. The drama reaches even higher when Marla, a jilted werewolf who fancies herself as Atticus's mate, shows up at the campsite with the intention of causing trouble.

Rylee, already insecure, has to deal with both Marla's antics and Atticus's father, Grant, who has a very deep dislike of “mortals”. When Rylee finds out that Atticus is a werewolf, she lashes out and decides that he is too “weird “ and “freakish” for her. I don't know about anyone else but that's a major turn off for me. This is not a hallmark of a mature, level-headed young woman but of someone that has not come into her own yet.
While I realize that Ms. Chenery is keeping within the Canadian theme for this story, as a fellow Canuck it became kind of “enough already” with all of the highlights of what makes this story uniquely Canadian. Maybe that was the whole point but in my opinion is a bit over done.

Aside from that bit of griping, I believe that Atticus and Rylee need another installment to show how they've grown as a couple and how Rylee has adjusted to being Atticus's mate. If this is the first of a series, I'm curious enough to see how Ms. Chenery moves the story forward.